Chili Recipe Recommendation

Rossa Subscribed

I’m having a dozen friends over next weekend for whale watching and day drinking.
I’d like to have a big pot of chili ready but unsure of which recipe to use.
Anyone have a recommendation for a go-to chili recipe?

My go-to chili recipe is the one I got from a fellow F-chatter. It's a pretty typical recipe, but the kicker is to replace
the ground beef with chuck roast. Dice the chuck roast into ca. 1/2" cubes. I find the cubes give it a meatier, more
satisfying texture over ground beef. Even better IMO than chili grind.

Then add any spices you want. I like Williams Chili Mix. It has good flavor, but not too much.
It has no heat, if that is your thing, but my wife has almost no spice tolerance, so I add hot sauce @ the table.
Note that Williams is salt free, so you need to add that to taste, but again, I prefer that to other mixes that are just way too salty to my taste.

Instead of tomato sauce, I like to add tomato paste. Then I can adjust the water content as needed during the long simmer process.

From time to time, I doctor the above with diced vegetables, which is anathema to some people, if I have some onions, celery or bell peppers hanging out in the fridge.

And, last but not least, we get to religious preferences - beans or not! Texas tradition, or so I am told, says NO BEANS!
But, I'm a rebel, I like beans in my chili. I add red beans or pinto beans from a can, so I do not have to soften/pre-soak, etc.
I usually chuck them in the last half hour or so.

Rossa Subscribed

I appreciate all the tips.
Ultimately, I created my own recipe based on reading several, picking out ratios and then just winging it.
It was well received, with a couple saying it was the best they’d eaten (NB: none are chili aficionados and I plyed them all with drink).
I’d make it again without planned modification
Not a lot of fresh chilies available here so that influenced my decision; I used 1 habanero, 2 jalapeño, 2 poblanos

I appreciate all the tips.
Ultimately, I created my own recipe based on reading several, picking out ratios and then just winging it.
It was well received, with a couple saying it was the best they’d eaten (NB: none are chili aficionados and I plyed them all with drink).
I’d make it again without planned modification
Not a lot of fresh chilies available here so that influenced my decision; I used 1 habanero, 2 jalapeño, 2 poblanos

Rossa SubscribedOwner

I agree with Tom C...I buy top sirloin and cut into 1" cubes. Dry the beef thoroughly and place in large plastic bag with cumin, all your ground peppers and I like Guajillo ground chili powder. The secret is to build your layers in the spices and seasonings. If you are using beans, buy Hanover (from PA) kidney beans in the white can. Any of those rebel beans will screw up the pot.

Advising Moderator

I agree with Tom C...I buy top sirloin and cut into 1" cubes. Dry the beef thoroughly and place in large plastic bag with cumin, all your ground peppers and I like Guajillo ground chili powder. The secret is to build your layers in the spices and seasonings. If you are using beans, buy Hanover (from PA) kidney beans in the white can. Any of those rebel beans will screw up the pot.

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Pinquito Beans - Need to order them, though - Santa Maria area is only place they're known to thrive.

Silver Subscribed

If you are using beans, buy Hanover (from PA) kidney beans in the white can. Any of those rebel beans will screw up the pot.

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I think many consider it sacrilege to put beans in chili.

Me? I'm not from Texas, I pretty much always put them in my chili. My father used to put corn in his, and I freakin' HATED that texture.

On an alternate note?

My wife makes a KILLER chili with ground chicken breast, white beans, and spinach. Once I add a bit more habanero sauce (I like the green "El Yucateco") and just a dollop of sour cream on top? Man, that stuff is GOOD!

Rossa SubscribedOwner

Hi David. I've had a version of that. A few years back a good client asked me to be a judge in their employee chili cooking contest. Talk about taste fatigue...there were over 20 entries. What's worse, it was at lunch in their offices so No Beer!. There were a couple of chicken and white bean versions. I used to run into some chili recipes with corn back in my native PA...I think the Pa Dutch figured the chili needed some color. I always detested it as well. HNY. keith

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I used to run into some chili recipes with corn back in my native PA...I think the Pa Dutch figured the chili needed some color. I always detested it as well. HNY. keith

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Yeah, corn is certainly NOT a favorite chili ingredient for me, but? Sure as HELL isn't as nasty as those folks in Cincinnati who add CINNAMON, then dump the stuff over spaghetti noodles. Friggin' WRONG on so many levels!

Yeah, corn is certainly NOT a favorite chili ingredient for me, but? Sure as HELL isn't as nasty as those folks in Cincinnati who add CINNAMON, then dump the stuff over spaghetti noodles. Friggin' WRONG on so many levels!

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I tried it once. Friend from the Midwest whipped up a batch. As I recall, it was somewhere between chili and pasta sauce in consistency. Not bad for what it is, but not true chili IMO...T

Advising Moderator

I tried it once. Friend from the Midwest whipped up a batch. As I recall, it was somewhere between chili and pasta sauce in consistency. Not bad for what it is, but not true chili IMO...T

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Been 30 years, but . . .

Had some in DC, NoVA or MD. None present (6, I guess) had ever had Actual Chili & thought the only changeup was pasta.

Thoughtful on their part, as it was so I could have some. That meal was otherwise so unmemorable, yet shocking that I'm certain days later I could not recall who was there or what other reason there was. Only cinnamon & pasta.